Gone to War (A Bucky Barnes FanFiction)

Chapter Three

Ophelia sat in the park, reading her book she had just picked up from the library. She lost herself in the words on the page as the world turned around her. The wind of the summer breeze filled her body with warmth. She looked up from her pages and saw people around her enjoying the park. Children who were fresh out of school for the summer ran around enjoying the new freedom from the stuffy classroom. A woman rolled a child past her as the birds chirped from the trees above her. She leaned her head back and felt the warm sun paint her face with its warmth.

"Enjoying the sun?" Steve said, causing Ophelia to open her eyes and look to Steve, who stood in front of her.

"I was until you came along." She smirked as Steve sat next to her on the bench. "Where's Bucky?" She asked, looking past him. He shrugged his shoulders.

"He didn't show up, so I came here hoping you were here." Steve said, frowning. Ophelia looked down, confused.

"That doesn't sound like him." She mumbled. She looked up and caught the gaze of Bucky, who had a girl around his arm. Ophelia nudged Steve, who was looking in the other direction, he looked at her, and she nodded her head towards Buck and the red head on his arm. 

"Who's that?" Steve asked as Bucky saw them from across the park. His eyes lit up, and he said something to the girl. Her gaze landed on the two on the bench. She pulled on Bucky's arm, but he said something again, and they started to walk towards Ophelia and Steve.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out." She mumbled to Steve as they got closer. 

"Hey, Steve, Anne, this is Dolores O'Connor, darling these are my friends." He said, holding her hand. Dottie smiled at Steve and glanced over Ophelia before turning to Buck. She leaned towards him and kissed his cheek, causing Buck to laugh nervously. "She's uh..." he laughed again, causing Dottie to laugh as well, "my girl." Steve and Ophelia looked at each other, kind of in shock at what was unfolding in front of them.

"Call me Dottie," she said smiling, "but you mister," she leaned closer to Bucky, "call me Dot." Bucky laughed and kissed her cheek as Ophelia rolled her eyes.

"Are we still going to Rockaway Beach?" Steve asked Bucky, who nodded to him. 

"The four of us are if that's alright?" Dottie said, looking to Steve and Ophelia, who said nothing.

"Of course, the more, the merrier." Steve said, standing up. He turned to Ophelia, who just sat there for a moment. She watched as Bucky and Dottie walked down the path towards the train station. Steve looked to her, "Are you coming?" She looked up and shook her head from her daze.

"Yeah, it's just," she stood from the bench and looked towards Buck, who was ahead of the group with Dottie, "it's always the three of us who go to Rockaway Beach." They started walking down the path of the park. Ophelia tucked the book in her little bag.

"You're jealous," Steve said, smirking. Ophelia turned to him with wide eyes and stumbled on her words. 

"I am not!" she said, stopping in the middle of the path. "He is my friend, and you know that," she said in a lower whisper. 

"Hm, sure..." Steve said, turning away from her.

"Rogers, I swear, you'll be the death of me." Ophelia mumbled to him as they stood next to the two love birds. 

The train ride to the beach felt longer to Ophelia. She sat next to Steve, her head leaning on the window, looking out at the city pass her by. Lifting her head, she saw Steve drawing in the little notebook he carried around with him. She smiled and leaned her head back, trying to ignore the fact that Bucky invited a stranger on their yearly trip to the beach. Upon arriving, Dottie pulled Bucky towards the beach as the sun beamed down on the group. The sound of the water made Ophelia relax for a moment while seeing families and couples walk around the beach and see all the excitement of games and food that peppered the boardwalk. Steve and Ophelia walked behind the couple the whole day, feeling it less as a friend trip to the beach and more of the two being the third wheel. Towards the later afternoon, Dottie was begging Bucky to win a stuffed bear for her that she saw in one of the games.